Sportsman&#39;s chair



April 13, 1965 H. JONES SPORTSMAN'S CHAIR Filed Jan. 17, 1963 INVENTOR. HICKS Jon/5 EWVWK 4770k/VEKS United States Patent 3,177,825 SPQRTSMANS CHAIR Hicks Jones, 7096 14 Mile Road, Warren, Mich. Filed Ian. 17, 1963, Ser. No. 252,252 7 Claims. (l. 108-128) This invention relates to chairsand, in particular, to folding sportsmans chairs.

One object of this invention is to provide a folding sportsmans chair, the seat of which is pivotally mounted upon the vertical supporting post thereof was to swivel around the post and thus enable the sportsman to turn quickly from side to side, as is extremely useful in the use of the chair as a hunting or fishing chair, as a spectator sports chair and the like. I

Another object is to provide a folding sportsmans chair of the foregoing character wherein the swivelling action permitted is a full 360", enabling the user to turn completely around without having to lift the chair or withdraw it from engagement with the ground.

Another object is to provide a folding sportsmans chair of the foregoing character wherein the flexible seat of canvas or the like is maintained in a taut position by spreader arms which are releasably locked in locking notches by locking pins attached to swinging locking links.

Another object is to provide a folding sportsmans chair of the foregoing character wherein the vertical post constituting the seat support is provided with a hook and also preferably a stop disc of flange whereby the folded chair is easily suspended from the sportsmans belt.

Another object is to provide a folding sportsmans chair of the foregoing character wherein the spreader arms which support the seat are approximately Y-shaped or triangular-shaped having cross member portions to which the opposite ends of the flexible canvas seat are attached and which also serve as handles which can be moved close together in the folded position of the chair for easy han dling and compact storage or transportation.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a folding swivelling sportsmans chair, according to one form of the invention, with the seat extended;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the chair shown in FIGURE 1, folded and inverted for carrying;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of the chair of FIGURES 1 and 2, with the upper portions of the triangular spreader arms and the seat removed;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation of the structure shown in FIGURE 3, with the locking links in solid lines in their locked positions and in dotted lines in their unlocked positions; and

FIGURE 5 is a central vertical section taken along the line 5-5 in FIGURE 3.

Referring to the drawing in detail, FIGURES l and 2 show a folding swivelling sportsmans chair, generally designated 10, according to one form of the invention with the seat thereof locked in its extended position in FIGURE 1 and unlocked and collapsed into its folded position in FIGURE 2. The chair consists of a tubular post 12 of aluminum or other metal near the pointed lower end 13 of which is fixed a stop disc 14 with an upwardly-projecting belt hook 16. Spaced a short distance below the reduced-diameter upper portion end 28 of the post 12 is a swivel-bearing abutment 27 carrying a fixed washer 18 serving as a stop washer. Upon this is pivotally mounted a box-shaped swivelling seat-supporting frame 20, the lower wall 22 (FIGURE 2) of which is drilled for the passage of the reduced-diameter upper end portion 28 of the post 12 and rests upon the stop washer 18. The supporting frame has a top wall 24 with stop shoulders 25 at its opposite ends. The top wall 24 is also drilled for the passage of the upper end portion 28 of the post 12 and receives a washer 26 above which the top 29 of the post 12 is expanded, rivet-like, to hold the parts in assembly.

The two parallel opposite sides 30 of the frame 26 comprise spaced parallel side walls 30 and are provided near their opposite ends with notches 32 below which the ends have projections 34 bent toward and into end-to-end contact with one another to keep them spaced apart from one another and to serve as stops for a pair of approximately Y-shaped swinging spreader arms constituting seat supports, generally designated 36. The parallel lower end' portions 35 of the supports 36 are pivoted on pins 38 inserted in parallel pairs of holes in the opposite sides 39 of the flame 20. These pins 38 also support four swinging locking links 40, the upper ends of which are slotted as at 42 to receive movable locking pins 44. The locking pins 44 register with the notches 32 when the Y- shaped spreader arms 36 occupy the positions shown in FIGURE 1 resting against the inwardly-bent-together projections 34 at the opposite ends of the frame side walls 30. In such positions, the pins 44 drop downward in their respective slots 42 to enter the notches 32, thereby retaining the arms 36 in their laterally-extended positions so as to hold taut a flexible canvas seat 46 having opposite end hems 48 which receive the cross member portions 50 of the seat supports 36.

In the operation of the invention, let it be assumed that the sportsmans chair 10 is in its folded position shown in FIGURE 2 and that the sportsman desires to unfold and extend the seat 46. If, as is shown in FIGURE 2, the chair 10 happens to be inverted, such as when it is suspended by the hook 16 from the users belt, the user removes it from his belt, turns it right-side up, and grasps the hems 38 and cross members 50 of the seat spreader arms 36 in his right and left hands'respectively and pushes downward and outward upon them until the lower end portions 35 thereof come into contact with the stop projections 34 at the ends of the side plates 30 of the seat supporting frame 20. This action permits the locking links 40 to swing around their pivot pins 38 (FIG- URE 4) from their unlocked positions shown in solid lines in FIGURE 2 and in dotted lines in FIGURE 4,

r to their locking positions wherein the locking pins 44 slide downward by gravity along their slots 42 into the notches 32 in the side plates 30 (FIGURES 1 and 5). In this position, the seat 46, which is of flexible material, such as canvas, is stretched into a taut condition. The user then pushes the pointed end 13 of the post 12 downward into the ground, excessive penetration in soft ground being prevented by the stop flange 14. The chair 10 is then ready for use.

To fold the chair from the extended position of FIG- URE 1 into the collapsed position of FIGURE 2, the user grasps the opposite ends of the locking pins 44 between the thumbs and forefingers of his right and left hands and pulls the pins 44 upward in their respective slots 42, disengaging them from the locking notches 32. Holding the locking pins 44 in their raised positions, he then swings the locking links 40 upward into the dotted line positions shown in FIGURE 4, whereupon the spreader arms 36 are then pulled toward one another into approximately the parallel positions shown in FIGURE 2. In these positions, the locking pins 44 come into engagement with the stop shoulders 25 at the opposite ends of the top wall 24 of the seat supporting frame 20. The chair 10 may then be inverted as shown in FIGURE 2 and hookedonto the users belt or it may be carried in one hand by using either or both of the hem-covered cross members 50 as handles.

What I claim is:

1. A folding sportsmans chair comprising a vertical post having a pointed lower end adapted to be inserted in the ground,

a seat-supporting frame structure mounted on the upper end of said post and having horizontal-axis pivots thereon,

a pair of seat-supporting arms having open-centered approximately triangular upper portions with integral horizontal upper cross portions and having substantially parallel closely adjacent lower extension portions integral with and extending downwardly from said upper portions and pivotally mounted on said pivots,

said arms being swingable on said pivots between adjacent folded positions of said upper cross portions and spread-apart extended positions thereof,

a flexible seat member having opposite end portions secured to said cross portions,

and locking means releasably engaging and holding said arms in their extended positions.

2. A folding sportsmans chair, according to claim 1,

wherein said frame structure includes laterally-spaced approximately parallel side plates and integral transverse portions interconnecting said side plates, said pivots being mounted in said side plates. V 3. A folding sportsmans chair, according to claim 2, wherein said side plates at their opposite ends have stop portions projecting laterally toward one another in swinglimiting relationship to said, arms.

4. A folding sportsmans chair comprising a vertical post having a pointed lower end adapted to be inserted in the ground,

a seat-supporting frame structure mounted on the upper end of said post and having horizontal-axis pivots thereon,

a pair of seat-supporting arms having elongated upper cross portions and having lower extension portions pivotally mounted on said pivots,

said arms being swingable on said pivots between adjacent folded positions of said transverse upper portions and spread-apart extended positions thereof,

a flexible seat member having opposite end portions secured to said cross portions,

and locking means releasably engaging and holding said arms in their extended positions,

said frame structure including laterally-spaced approximately parallel side plates,

, t said pivots being mounted in said side plates, said pivots comprising a pair of pivot elements disposed with their axes spaced laterally apart from one another, and said extensions of each arm being mounted upon one of said pivot elements.

5. A folding sportsmans chair comprising a vertical post having a pointed lower end adapted to be inserted in the ground,

a seat-supporting frame structure mounted on the upper end of said post and having horizontal-axis pivots thereon,

a pair of seat-supporting arms having elongated upper cross portions'and having lower extension portions pivotally mounted on said pivots,

said arms being swingableon said pivots between adjacent folded positions of said transverse upper portions and spread-apart extended positions thereof,

a flexible seat member having opposite end portions secured to said cross portions,

and locking means releasably engaging and holding said arms in their extended positions,

said frame structure including laterally-spaced approximately parallel side plates,

said pivots being mounted in said side plates,

said locking means including laterally-spaced lockreceiving recesses in said side plates and also including locking devices having locking elements thereon selectively movable into and out of said recesses.

6. A folding sportsmans chair, according to claim 5, wherein said locking devices also include swinging links pivotally connected to said side plates and wherein said locking elements are mounted on said links in spaced relationship to the pivotal connections thereof.

7. A folding sportsmans chair, according to claim 6, wherein said locking elements are movably mounted on said links.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Peterson Oct. 11, 1955 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FOLDING SPORTSMAN''S CHAIR COMPRISING A VERTICAL POST HAVING A POINTED LOWER END ADAPTED TO BE INSERTED IN THE GROUND, A SEAT-SUPPORTING FRAME STRUCTURE MOUNTED ON THE UPPER END OF SAID POST AND HAVING HORIZONTAL-AXIS PIVOTS THEREON, A PAIR OF SEAT-SUPPORTING ARMS HAVING OPEN-CENTERED APPROXIMATELY TRIANGULAR UPPER PORTIONS WITH INTEGRAL HORIZONTAL UPPER CROSS PORTIONS AND HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL CLOSELY ADJACENT LOWER EXTENSION PROTIONS INTEGRAL WITH AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID UPPER PORTIONS AND PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID PIVOTS, SAID ARMS BEING SWINGABLE ON SAID PIVOTS BETWEEN ADJACENT FOLDED POSITIONS OF SAID UPPER CROSS PORTIONS AND SPREAD-APART EXTENDING POSITIONS THEREOF, A FLEXIBLE SEAT MEMBER HAVING OPPOSITE END PORTIONS SECURED TO SAID CROSS PORTIONS, AND LOCKING MEANS RELEASABLY ENGAGING AND HOLDING SAID ARMS IN THEIR EXTENDING POSITIONS. 